Aduro Reports 88.8% to 90.8% Condensable Hydrocarbon Yield Across Changing Polyolefin Feeds in 75-Hour NGP Campaign

LONDON, Ontario, Sept. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aduro Clean Technologies Inc. (“Aduro” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: ADUR) (TSX: ACT) (FSE: 9D5), a clean technology company using the power of chemistry to transform lower value feedstocks, like waste plastics, heavy bitumen, and renewable oils, into resources for the 21^st century, today provided an update on continued progress in the operating campaign program at its Next Generation Process (“NGP”) Pilot Plant.

Highlights

• Repeatability across successive campaigns: Multiple NGP campaigns conducted through July, August, and September have demonstrated progressive improvement in NGP process control and operation, while maintaining consistent process and product performance across different feed compositions and operating parameters.
• Mixed-polyolefin performance: During the September campaign, condensable hydrocarbon yield was 88.8% with 100% polypropylene (“PP”), 90.8% with an 80:20 PP/polyethylene (“PE”) blend, and 89.2% with a 50:50 PP/PE blend. Condensable hydrocarbon yield represents the recovered liquid and waxy hydrocarbon product and excludes non-condensed hydrocarbon gases. Results were consistent with the objectives of the campaign.
• Latest campaign: The September campaign ran for 75 hours and processed approximately 758 kilograms of polymer across three controlled polyolefin feed compositions.
• Consistent product quality and improving process control: Product-quality indicators remained consistent with prior campaign results, and the system returned to target operating conditions approximately two hours sooner than in the comparable prior run following changes in process conditions.
• Iterative engineering: Operating findings are being used to refine equipment, instrumentation, controls, and operating procedures, with modifications implemented between campaigns and evaluated in subsequent runs.
• Direct FOAK integration: NGP operating data continue to be used as part of Early Works engineering and procurement activities for the First-of-a-Kind (“FOAK”) Program at Chemelot.
• Next stage: The NGP program is expected to progress to longer campaigns using waste-plastic materials supplied by prospective FOAK feedstock partners, including feedstocks with broader compositional characteristics increasingly representative of those being evaluated for the FOAK Plant.
  

The latest September campaign extended this work over a longer operating period, progressing from the established PP operating reference to progressively higher PE content while maintaining product-quality indicators consistent with prior campaign results. Condensable hydrocarbon yield was 88.8% on 100% PP, 90.8% on the 80:20 PP/PE blend, and 89.2% on the 50:50 PP/PE blend.

Changes in PP/PE feed composition require timely adjustments to operating parameters. Successive campaigns are defining these relationships while demonstrating the ability to continue operation, maintain process control, and restore target operating conditions as feed composition changes. In the latest campaign, the system returned to target conditions approximately two hours sooner than in the comparable prior run, providing a measurable indication of continued improvement in process control and operating procedures.

Controlled PP/PE blends allow Aduro to isolate how changes in feed composition affect process conditions and system response before progressing to more complex waste-plastic feedstocks relevant to chemical recycling in Europe. Future testing is expected to extend across the broader PP/PE composition range, including an 80:20 PE/PP blend.

The NGP Pilot Plant integrates industrial equipment and process controls at pilot scale. Between campaigns, Aduro reviews operating and analytical data, evaluates equipment and instrumentation performance, and implements engineering and operating improvements identified through testing. Subsequent campaigns are then used to evaluate those changes under operating conditions. This iterative approach allows operating constraints to be identified and addressed at pilot scale while continuing to evaluate Hydrochemolytic™ Technology (“HCT”) reactor chemistry, product performance, and integrated system operation, building practical knowledge relevant to the design and operation of the FOAK Plant.

In parallel, Saipem S.p.A. (“Saipem”) is advancing Early Works engineering and procurement activities for Aduro’s FOAK Program at Chemelot. The scope includes review of the Process Design Package, optimization of critical equipment packages, preliminary utility integration, and refinement of capital cost estimates. Saipem is already receiving operating data generated through the NGP Pilot Plant, providing a direct path for Pilot Plant observations and validated improvements to inform the engineering basis for the FOAK Plant.

“Successive NGP campaigns are strengthening our understanding of both the chemistry and the operation of the integrated system,” said Ofer Vicus, Chief Executive Officer at Aduro. “As feed composition changes, our Operations team continues to develop a deeper understanding of how to adjust process conditions and return the system to target operating conditions while maintaining consistent product performance. The progress we are seeing reflects their work in building practical operating knowledge around a pilot-scale system that integrates industrial equipment and process controls. With Saipem already receiving NGP operating data, those learnings are directly informing development of the engineering basis for the FOAK Plant.”

The next stage of the NGP program is expected to include longer campaigns using more complex waste-plastic materials, including prospective FOAK feedstocks and selected materials arising through Aduro’s Customer Engagement Program. This progression moves testing beyond controlled PP/PE blends and broadens the operating dataset across feedstocks relevant to both FOAK development and future application testing.

About Aduro Clean Technologies

Aduro Clean Technologies is a developer of patented water-based technologies to chemically recycle waste plastics; convert heavy crude and bitumen into lighter, more valuable oil; and transform renewable oils into higher-value fuels or renewable chemicals. The Company’s Hydrochemolytic™ technology relies on water as a critical agent in a chemistry platform that operates at relatively low temperatures and cost, a game-changing approach that converts low-value feedstocks into resources for the 21st century.

For further information, please contact:

Abe Dyck, Head of Corporate Development / Investor Relations
ir@adurocleantech.com
+1 226 784 8889

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws.

Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning continued operation and progression of campaigns at the NGP Pilot Plant; planned longer-duration operating campaigns; evaluation of additional PP/PE feed compositions and waste-plastic materials; evaluation of waste-plastic materials supplied by prospective feedstock partners for the FOAK project; potential evaluation of materials arising through the Company’s Customer Engagement Program; interpretation and use of Pilot Plant operating, condensable hydrocarbon yield, product-quality, and process-control data; the ability to reproduce and extend operating results across different feedstocks and process conditions; implementation and evaluation of engineering and operating improvements identified through Pilot Plant testing; incorporation of NGP operating data into the engineering basis for the planned FOAK Plant; development, design, engineering, financing, procurement, construction, commissioning, and start-up of the FOAK Plant and broader FOAK Facility at Chemelot; the scope and progression of Early Works activities with Saipem; and the Company’s broader scale-up and commercialization pathway.

Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, estimates, assumptions, and projections, including assumptions relating to continued performance and availability of the NGP Pilot Plant; the ability to reproduce and extend operating results; the ability to conduct longer campaigns and evaluate additional feedstocks; the applicability of Pilot Plant data to larger-scale engineering and operation; successful completion and progression of Early Works activities with Saipem; the availability and suitability of feedstocks supplied by prospective partners; the availability of suitable personnel, partners, contractors, equipment, and capital; the ability to obtain required permits and regulatory approvals; and stable market, regulatory, and economic conditions.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks include operational challenges or delays in Pilot Plant campaigns; variability in feedstock composition, recovery, product quality, or process stability; the possibility that results observed in individual campaigns may not be reproduced under different conditions or at larger scale; challenges in translating Pilot Plant data into engineering design; delays, changes in scope, or cost increases affecting FOAK Plant engineering, financing, procurement, construction, commissioning, or start-up; the possibility that the Saipem engagement may not progress beyond the Early Works phase; inability to establish or maintain feedstock, commercial, technical, or development relationships; the possibility that testing programs may not produce results supporting further development; supply-chain constraints; competition; intellectual-property risks; availability and cost of capital; and other risks described in the Company’s public filings available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR through the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise them except as required by applicable law.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/61267443-a33c-4376-8dc6-0be1478c40a6